April 6, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



265 



The position of tlie northern i^ole of tUe medial plane 

 of this belt of stars has been fixed by Dr. Gonld at 

 E. A. 11 h. 25 m., N. P. V>. 60°, whilst that of the 

 galactic circle is at R. A. 12 li. 41 m., N. P. D. 62° 39'. 



— The notes on the progress of astronomy during 

 the past year, brought before the Koyal astronomical 

 society at its anniversary meeting, Feb. 9, related to 

 the following subjects: small displacements of the 

 plumb-line; investigations relating to the tides; the 

 micrometric measures of the Harvard-college observa- 

 tory; double star observations; Oppolzer's 'Syzygien- 

 tafeln;' the constant of precession; the mass of .Jupi- 

 ter; discovery of minor planets in 1882; M. Gogou on 

 a lunar inequality of long period, due to the action 

 •of Mars; the celestial charts of Prof. C. H. F. Peters; 

 Professor Holden's monograph of the nebula of Ori- 

 on ; the Harvard-college observatory catalogue of stars 

 for 1875; Dr. Huggins's jjhotographs of the corona; 

 astronomical photography; Houzeau's ' Bibliograj)hie 

 d'astronomie;' the transit of Venus; the comets of 

 1882; and Professor Langley's researches on the solar 

 radiation. 



— Col. Prejevalsky has given up his projected ex- 

 pedition to eastern Turkestan, and will probably, 

 instead, be sent as chief of a government expedition 

 to determine the boundary between Siberia and Mon- 

 golia. 



— J. Martin is exploring the mountainous country 

 of Siberia south of Yakutsk. His last report, dated 

 November, mentions excessive cold, with a minimum 

 of — 56° F., in which his party has suffered greatly. 

 In spite of the general snow, he has made some ob- 

 servations on the rocks of the country, but details 

 are not yet given. 



— The annvial report for 1882 is the latest example 

 of the excellent work done by. the Geological survey 

 of New Jersey under the lead of Professor George H. 

 Cook. It contains a well-colored state map (scale six 

 miles to an inch), besides small outline-maps showing 

 the river-basins and the progress of triangulation and 

 topographic work. Chapters are given on the triassic 

 formation; on the iron industry, showing an esti- 

 mated output of 900,000 tons in 1882, — an excOTs of 

 140,000 over 1881, and larger than ever before ; on the 

 plastic clays, showing that the generalizations made 

 in tlie special clay report and map (1878), are verified 

 ■by recent work; on shore-changes, chiefly by erosive 

 wave-action, proved by comparison of old and new 

 surveys, amounting to two and three hundred yards at 

 several places south of Barnegat Inlet;, proved also by 

 the discovery, at very low water after storms on Long 

 Beach, of roots and axe-cut stumps, as well as horse 

 and cattle tracks preserved in the firm sod of old 

 marshes (p. 82) ; on water-supply, giving important 

 statistics of rainfall, drainage-areas, and analyses; 

 and recommending the boring of artesian wells, 

 which the structure of the Atlantic slope would 

 *favor alon^ the seashore, where the surface-water is 



generally poor. The probable depths at which water- 

 bearing strata would be found are given for sevejal 

 points on the coast. Other topics are also treated. 

 The expenses of the survey have been kept strictly 

 ■ within the appropriation of $8,000 a year. 



The chapter on the triassic rocks has special 

 technical value. It is remarkably well illustrated Iiy 

 tinted lithographs by Bien, showing the general trias- 

 sic landscape at Plainfield, the columnar structure of 

 the trap at Little Falls on the Passaic, the Palisade 

 trap at its intrusive junction with the sandstones at 

 Weehawken (a three-foot horizontal interbedded 

 branch-dike in the lower part of this plate is colored 

 like the sandstone), and the intrusions of trap be- 

 tween the shales at Martin's dock on the Earitau. 

 The latter are much better than any illustrations of 

 the triassic traps yet published. The working hy- 

 pothesis adopted to exjjlain the peculiarities of tliis 

 puzzling formation seems open to criticism. The 

 original connection of the New-Jersey and Con- 

 necticut sandstone areas is very improbable. Their 

 similarity results rather from similarity of original 

 conditions than from continuity. We believe that 

 further observation will show the parallel Wachung 

 Mountains to be, not intrusions, like the Palisades, 

 but overflows of trap jioured out on the sandstones 

 during their formation, and altogether inactive in 

 producing any perceptible share of the well-known 

 monoclinal tilting. The curved form of these trap- 

 ridges, and probably of all tlie many others of over- 

 flow origin in Connecticut, is the result of the trap- 

 sheets having been faintly folded, with their con- 

 formably enclosing sandstones, long after their forma- 

 tion, and most likely at the time of general tilting. 

 It is diflicult to understand how any eruptive force 

 would 'necessarily' jjroduce such forms. The dis- 

 covery of a few faults in the sandstones since 1868, 

 when none had been found, gives hope that the 

 origin of the monoclinal structure may some day be 

 better understood. Apart from these somewhat 

 hypothetical matters, an extended descriijtion is given 

 of the character and distribution of the triassic rocks, 

 for the purpose of enlisting the aid of local observers, 

 whose conti'ibutions are much needed to ' solve the 

 questions still open.' New Jersey is fortunate in 

 having already progressed so far, and in having the 

 road for further work so well marked out. 



— Mr. G. Brown Goode has been appointed by the 

 President commissioner to the London fisheries ex- 

 hibition. Mr. R. E. Earll, Mr. A. Howard Clark, 

 Capt. J. W. Collins, Mr. W. V. Cox, Capt. H. C. 

 Chester, and Mr. Eeuben Wood accompany the 

 commissioner. Eepresentatives of the Signal-office, 

 U.S.A., Light-house board, and Life-saving service, 

 have also been detailed for special duty in connec- 

 tion with the exhibition. 



— The Marquis Antonio de Gregorio announces 

 from Palermo, Feb. 9, that, if four hundred subscrib- 



